Sheet storage and dispensing apparatus



Feb. 15, 1955 Filed Aug. 1, 1952 J. C. PAULAS SHEET STORAGE AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 2 Shets-$heet l INVENTOR.

05%); 6. Pal/Z26,

SHEET STORAGE AND DISPENSING APPARATUS John C. Paulas, Chatham, N. 1., r, by niesne assignments, to General Photo Manufacturing Co., Inc Chatham, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 1,1952, Serial No. 302,200 2 Claims. (cl. 221-43 This invention relates to apparatus for storing a supply of sheets, including manipulatable means for dispensing single sheets therefrom as needed.

The invention has for a general object to provide a container in which a supply of stacked sheets can be enclosed, and to provide said container with manipulatable means, operative upon each actuation thereof, to engage a single sheet on the supply stack and thereupon project the same from the container for removal therefrom.

More specifically, the invention has for an object to provide a substantially light-proof dispensing container in which a supply of stacked photo-sensitive paper sheets can be enclosed subject to delivery therefrom one at a time as needed, and including manipula'table dispensing mechanism for engaging a top sheet of -the stored stack thereof, and upon actuation to propel and eject the engaged sheet through a discharge outlet or mouth with which the container is provided.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sheet dispensing mechanism including an oscillatable sheet pick-up means and a pair of discharge rollers to the nip of which a sheet is fed by said pick-up means, together with a single manipulatable means for simultaneously actuating said pick-up means and said discharge rollers.

The above and other objects of this invention will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention in' connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the sheet storage and dispensing apparatus according to this invention, with the cover member of the storage container thereof in open disposition and partially broken away; Fig. 2 IS a longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1, but with the cover member of the storage container in closed pos tion; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 33 in Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character indicates the upwardly open main body of the sheet storage container. Said main body 10 is normally closed by a cover member 11, which is preferably provided with a peripheral flange 12 to telescope over the standing walls of the container body. Preferably, said cover member 11 is pivotally connected to the rear end wall of the container body by a hinge connection 13.

The forward end wall of the container body 10 is cut down so as to be downwardly spaced relative to the edge of the adjacent forward end portion of the closed cover member, whereby to define a transverse outlet opening or discharge mouth 14 leading outward from the forward end of the container body. Fixed within and across the forward end portion of the container body interior, to extend from the bottom thereof to the lower margin of said outlet opening or discharge mouth 14, is an upwardly and outwardly inclined sheet guide member 15. Fixed within and across the forward end of the cover member 11 is a sheet deflector block 16 which provides a sheet deflecting face 17 extending from the top wall of the cover member to the upper margin of the outlet opening or discharge mouth 14 of the container body. Preferably, at least the said .sheet deflecting face.

17 is covered" by a facing 18 of hard and smooth material, such as celluloid or the like, whereby to offer a minimum of frictional resistance to movement of the United States Patent 0 "ice leading end of a sheet contacting the same while undergoing discharge propulsion toward the outlet opening or discharge mouth 14 of the container body.

The interior of the container body 10 is divided longitudinally by an upstanding forward partition member 19 and an upstanding rearward partition member 20. These partition members 19 and 20 are spaced from a side wall of the container body 10, whereby to define an intermediate storage space or compartment 21 in which a stack of sheets S to be dispensed (see Fig. 2) can be deposited. Removably disposed within the rear end of the storage space or comparttment 21, to abut the rear wall of the container body 10, is a spacer block 22. When said spacer block 22 is in place, the storage space or compartment 21 is sized to receive and hold comparatively small size sheets, e. g. suchas letter size sheets. By removal of the spacer block 22, the storage space or compartment is sized to receive comparatively large size sheets, e. g. such as legal size sheets.

Opposed ends of the partitions 19 and 20 are spaced apart to provide an intermediate gap through which an oscillatable sheet pick-up means, to be subsequently described, extends for operative engagement with the stacked supply of sheets S held in the storage space or compartment 21.

The sheet pick-up means comprises an oscillatable arm 23 which is pivotally mounted by one end on a pivot pin 24 supported by a bracket 25 which is affixed to a side wall of the container body 10 opposite to that which bounds the outer side of the sheet supply storage space or compartment 21, and so as to extend into said storage space or compartment through the gap betweenv the inner side partitions 19 and 20 of the latter. Said oscillatable arm 23 is adapted to be swung back and forth, in substantially horizontal plane, intermediate the front and back walls of the container body 10. Mounted on the free end of said oscillatable arm 23, subject to limited oscillatory rotative movement about the axis thereof, is a pick-up roller 26, which is preferably made of sponge rubber or other suitable material calculated to effect frictional contact with the top sheet of the stacked supply of sheets S. The limited oscillatory rotation of said pick-up roller 26 is governed by a stop pin 27 which projects radially from the arm 23 into a notch 28 with which the hub 29 of said pick-up roller is provided. in addition to its operative back and I forth oscillatory movement in horizontal plane, said arm 23 is also capable of up-swinging movement, whereby the pick-up roller 26 can be up-lifted out of the storage space or compartment 21 to permit insertion of a supply stack of sheets S into the latter. Said oscillatable arm 23 and its pick-up roller 26 is yieldably held in forwardly swung sheet advancing position, and at the same time yieldably held in down swung sheet engaging position, by a pullspring 30 which extends diagonally downward and forward therefrom to an anchoring lug 31 aflixed to the bottom of the container body 10.

Mounted beneath the sheet guide member 15, inwardly of but adjacent to the outlet opening or discharge mouth 14 of the container 10, to extend across the storage space or compartment 21 parallel to said outlet opening or discharge mouth, is a driven sheet discharge roller 32. This discharge roller is so arranged that its upper periphery projects through an opening 33 provided in said sheet guide member 15, so as to intersect the sheet supporting surface of the latter. Fixed on the shaft 34 of said discharge roller 32, outwardly of the forward partition 19, is a gear 35 by which said roller is driven. Cooperative with said driven roller 32 is an idler roller 36 arranged to impinge upon said upper or exposed periphery of the former. The shaft 37 of said roller 36 is suitably journaled in and between the storage space or compartment bounding wall of the container body 10 and said forward partition 19.

Means is provided for manually actuating. the oscillatory arm 23 of the sheet pick-up means and simultaneously rotating the sheet discharge roller 32. This means comprises a push rod 38, the inner end of which is pivotally coupled by an angular portion 39 to said oscillatory arm 23, to extend forwardly from said arm through the space outwardly of the forward partition 19 and thence through the forward end wall of the container body so as to project exteriorly from the container. Fixed on said push-rod 38 so as to move therewith is a toothed rack 40 which meshes with the gear 35, whereby to impart rotary motion thereto and thus to the driven roller 32.

The inner side of the rearward partition 20 is preferably faced with a covering 41 of sponge rubber or other frictional material, against which a side of the supply stack of sheets S can bear, whereby to effect a drag or restraint upon the stack operative to resist forward movement of sheets thereof which underlie the top sheet, when said top sheet is operatively engaged and advanced by the operated sheet pick-up means.

If the container is to'be used to store sheets of photosensitive paper subject to dispensing discharge therefrom, it is desirable to exclude light from the container interior. The cover member 11, when of the flanged slip type shown, so engages the container body as to effectively exclude light from the interior thereof. To prevent entrance of light through the outlet opening or discharge mouth 14 of the container, a yieldable shield element 42 of suitable flexible material can be provided to overhang said outlet opening or discharge mouth 14, said shield element being preferably attached to the forward end of the cover member.

To operate the apparatus for discharge of a sheet from the contained supply thereof, the operator presses inwardly the push-rod 38, thereby swinging rearwardly the arm 23 of the sheet pick-up means, and thus disposing the pick-up roller 26 in engagement with the rearward end portion of the top sheet of the supply stack S. The inward movement of the push-rod 38 carries the rack 40 to a rearwardly or inwardly moved position, whereby to set the same for rotating the rollers 32 and 36 in 0perative sheet discharging direction.

During the initial rearward movement of the pick-up roller 26, the same will rotate to a limited degree so as to roll on the top sheet to a position far enough rearward from the forward end portion of the sheet before it is permitted to slide thereon to its fully retracted position. By reason of this, risk of buckling or wrinkling of the top sheet is avoided.

The rearward swing of the arm 23 stretches the pullspring 30 to a sheet delivery means operating tension.

The sheet delivery means having been thus set for action, the operator merely releases the push-rod 38, whereupon the tensioned pull-spring 30 moves the pushrod in the reverse or opposite direction, thus causing a forward swinging movement of the arm 23 from its rearwardly swung position. The forward swing of said arm 23 moves the pick-up roller 26 in like forward direction, whereby its engagement with the top sheet causes the latter to slide forwardly over the top of the supply stack S, and thus advance the leading end of said top sheet so that it is engaged by the rollers 32 and 36 to enter the nip thereof. In the meantime, outward movement of the rack has been initiated, so that said rollers 32 and 36 are in motion and rotated in sheet delivery direction by the time the top sheet enters the nip thereof. After the top sheet is engaged by the rollers 32 and 36. continued rotation of the latter, as the push-rod 38 and rack 40 complete their outward movement, positively propels the top sheet outwardly throughthe outlet openmg or discharge mouth 14 of the container, so that the leading end of said sheet is accessible to the grasp of the operator, whereby the operator can complete withdrawal of the sheet.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. Sheet ejecting means for a sheet storage and dispensing container holding a stack of sheets subject to successive ejection through a discharge opening of the container, said ejecting means comprising a pivoted sheet pickup means oscillatable in horizontal plane above the stack and operative to engage and advance a top sheet of said stack, a pair of gear driven rollers to receive an advanced sheet and operative to propel the same outwardly through the discharge opening of the container. a manipulatable longitudinally reciprocable push-rod pivotally coupled to said pick-up means for oscillating the same, and a rack carried by said push-rod for actuating said gear driven rollers in coordination with oscillatory movements communicated to said pick-up means.

2. Sheet ejecting means for a sheet storage and dispensing container holding a stack of sheets subject to successive ejection through a discharge opening of the container, said ejecting means comprising a sheet pick-up device provided by a lever arm pivotally supported at one end to oscillate in a horizontal plane above the stack of sheets and having a frictional roller mounted on its free end subject to limited rotative oscillation thereon and operative to engage and advance a top sheet of the stack, a pair of gear driven rollers to receive an advanced sheet and operative to propel the same outwardly through the discharge opening of the container, a manipulatable longitudinally reciprocable push-rod pivotally coupled to said lever arm for oscillating the same, a rack carried by said push-rod for actuating said gear driven rollers in coordination with oscillatory movements communicated to said pick-up device, and a pull-spring connected to the pick-up device and push-rod assembly to bias the same for movement in sheet dispensing direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 441,620 Moodie Nov. 25, 1890 444,502 Mossler Jan. 13, 1891 1,016,779 Ruppel Feb. 6, 1912 1,239,663 Bartlett et al. Sept. 11, 1917 1,385,087 Matchett July 19, 1921 1,446,285 Bartlett Feb. 20, 1923 1,466,492 Stiriss Aug. 28, 1923 2,092,166 Kettles, Jr. Sept. 7, 193 2,263,040 Kaltenbach Nov. 18, 1941 2,285,224 Nigra et al. June 2, 1942 2,369,955 Eastman Feb. 20, 1945 2,428,231 Leschin Sept. 30, 1947 2,572,121 Dosberg Oct. 23, 1951 2,594,634 Galloway Apr. 29, 1952 2,612,426 Hawks Sept. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,928 Great Britain of 1914 

